Questions about wheelchairs and ECV

[homemaker]

We (me, DH, DS17, DS15, DS11, DS8, & DD5) are going to Disney in October with my parents for 9 days. My mother suffered a stroke years ago and has since been in a manual wheelchair. I am thinking that it may be easier if she used an ECV while we were there. She is more comfortable being in her chair and is reluctant to use a scooter. My concerns are that it will be hot and pushing her all day for 9 days will be exhausting for everyone else in our party especially my father who is stubborn (and seldom lets others help). Another concern is that some rides require guests in a scooter to transfer to a wheelchair...do they have a wheelchair available at these attractions for guests to use? Any additional advice or suggestions to make their trip a little easier would be much appreciated. We are staying on property and will also have two minivans so I don't think transporting a scooter and the 9 of us will be a problem. Thanks

 

[jdb in AZ]

Is your mother able to drive an ECV? If there's any doubt, have her "test drive" one at Costco, Target or other store that has one. If she can handle a klunky ECV at a store then hopefully she can maneuver the rentals in Florida. She will have to have good reflexes, as other tourists will be so busy gawking at WDW that they won't notice her, and step right in front of her.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

even with the minivans you will have to take ECV apart and put back together. yes the rides that you have to transfer to wheelchair have chairs there to use at that ride. I would also have her use an EVC at a store to try out. there is no way for someone to help her drive the EVC in the parks.

 

[peemagg]

I think if the stroke affected her arms or reflexes, I would stay with what she is comfortable with. She may not feel safe enough to run an ECV. With many people in the party it should not be very hard to push her.

You have to be always alert when operating a ECV. People stop in front of you or dart in front of you without a second thought. It can be very draining to be constantly alert for this. May be another reason your Mom wants to stay with the chair.

 

[Sheilby]

They do have wheelchairs at the attractions that require ECV guests to transfer to a wheelchair. However, since she is so comfortable in her wheelchair, perhaps you can rent an electric wheelchair? This way it may seem more familiar to her, but no one will be stuck pushing it in the hot Florida sun.

 

[Piper]

A power wheelchair is much more difficult to drive than an ECV. The control is a joystick which not only controls direction, but also speed. Most companies will not rent to you unless you use one at home. Also, a power WC doesn't eliminate the people jumping out in front of you or stopping suddenly. It is very exhausting to use either a power WC or ECV because you need to be very alert to everyone around you as well as where you are going, how fast, etc. Although you do lose a little independence, it is much more enjoyable just to ride and be able to enjoy what is around you.

 

[Bete]

I'm not sure if this helps, but I've pushed my mom in a wheelchair for a few trips and I'm over 60 years old and female. I did not have any help. My husband needs a scooter himself. If you plan your schedule with rides and shows then you get rest periods in the shows. Having a meal is another rest period. We managed. I will say I was tired at the end of the day, but not exhausted. We probably averaged 8 hour days. We usually stay for at least a week and go to the parks each day. My mom enjoyed not walking and being pushed. She could see more of what was going on. She never learned to drive and she had medical problems; so, we could never feel comfortable trying a scooter with her.

You have what appears to be 4 abled bodies to push a manual wheelchair. I believe you can do the pushing between all of you. Let your mom have a better trip by letting her do what she is use to at home. Everyone should make a big deal of how much they want to push the wheelchair for her. No one should make it sound like a drag; make her feel good about it all. If you insist on her doing a scooter then I would go out for a practice run with a scooter to a zoo after trying a few times using a scooter at a store. Most zoos rent scooters. This won't be a perfect test, but it will give you a clue of things to come.

Some of the frustrations of using a scooter at Disney are the ride queues with twists and turns in them. You have to park a scooter for a meal; whereas, you can take a manual wheelchair into the restaurant. Some rides make using a scooter downright hard. For example, there's Soarin' in Epcot. First, you have to go up and down a crowded ramp. Next, you need to get down to the lower level and the only way to do it with a scooter is by elevator. Also, it's usually very crowded in the Land Building which is tough for a newbie on a scooter. This is probably the worse set-up for a scooter.

You have to remember that scooters have to drive the same paths as a wheelchair. You can't jump curbs with a scooter. With crowds all over sometimes these paths are hard to spot. She needs to be very aware of her travel paths. Can your mom concentrate well enough especially at the end of a day to handle a scooter? Although, it's not completely dark many travel, portable scooters are without a headlight. We actually bought a bicycle headlight to use on a rental. Many just dart out in front of a scooter, especially kids. I don't think anyone does it on purpose but the excitement of the moment makes everyone super hyped sometimes. One advantage you have is that you have enough people in your party to surround your mom; so, that should help her against those who dart.

I'll tell you a funny story about my MIL and using a scooter. She liked to rub/scratch her face, nose and so forth. She wore a sun hat and she would adjust it on her head quite frequently. Well, when she would do these actions she took her hands off the scooter and the scooter came to a complete stop. She kept blaming it all on the scooter and said she had a bad scooter. No matter how we tried to explain why this was happening she kept thinking she had a bad scooter. We knew the hands controlled the scooter power and when she would let go the scooter would halt. We traded scooters with my husband and guess what? She continued to have the same issues with the exchanged scooter. She got the hang of it after a while, but the first few days were tough. For her, anytime there was something more difficult to do with the scooter I did it for her and I took over for her including the elevator to get to the Soarin' ride. My husband could lead and I helped direct her everywhere she needed to go; so, we managed. My MIL was somewhat stressed out from the experience, but she was a good driver which I was thankful for. She was a bigger woman then my mom and she was still car driving at home; so, we felt she could handle a scooter. She walked at home and she didn't use a walker or whatever back home.

 

[Sheilby]

A power wheelchair is much more difficult to drive than an ECV. The control is a joystick which not only controls direction, but also speed. Most companies will not rent to you unless you use one at home.

I didn't know that, thank you.

 

[GrammyJudy]

Rent the ecv they are easy to learn to drive and rent from an outside vendor, I use Apple Scooters. She can practice in a tore and at the resort before going to the park.

 

[homemaker]

Thank you all for the help. My mom does has a Hoveround which has the joystick control and has used other scooters at the grocery store but still isn't that comfortable driving them. I really think she will be more comfortable with her manual chair so we will stick with what's comfortable. However, we are going to accessorize her chair with a push bar handle for more control & comfort while pushing (we will not have to hunch over) and a cup holder for her. Thanks again!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you all for the help. My mom does has a Hoveround which has the joystick control and has used other scooters at the grocery store but still isn't that comfortable driving them. I really think she will be more comfortable with her manual chair so we will stick with what's comfortable. However, we are going to accessorize her chair with a push bar handle for more control & comfort while pushing (we will not have to hunch over) and a cup holder for her. Thanks again!

That sounds like the most comfortable choice for everyone.

My father in law rented an ECV at EPCOT and the Studio in the last 5 years of his life, but he would not rent one at MK or AK because he just did not feel comfortable driving in those parks - they are more congested, with a lot narrower spaces.
My youngest DD is an experienced power wheelchair driver, but have not brought it to WDW because she all the extra attention needed to drive it would make her too tired (plus, she would have to spend all her time watching where he was going, not site seeing).

Did you find a push bar handle for her wheelchair?
In case you haven't, here are a couple that look interesting.
http://www.1800wheelchair.com/product/5489/push-handle-extensions

http://www.alcosales.com/pc_combined_results.asp?pc_id=D3CB78FB2C9E47EEAE7346F2E51F371A

 

[stitchlovestink]

A power wheelchair is much more difficult to drive than an ECV. The control is a joystick which not only controls direction, but also speed. Most companies will not rent to you unless you use one at home. Also, a power WC doesn't eliminate the people jumping out in front of you or stopping suddenly. It is very exhausting to use either a power WC or ECV because you need to be very alert to everyone around you as well as where you are going, how fast, etc. Although you do lose a little independence, it is much more enjoyable just to ride and be able to enjoy what is around you.

Bolding is mine....
Well I have to disagree with 'losing a LITTLE independence'. IMO unless you have the upper body strength to propel yourself or lower body strength to move the WC with your feet, your pretty much lose ALL your independence to move about in a WC unless you want to get up and walk. I personally would not find it more enjoyable to just sit and ride. Now that said if she has her own hoveround at home but still prefers a manual wheelchair, I would go with the WC. It seems clear that this is her preference for whatever reason. Go and enjoy!!

 

[KPeveler]

The powerchairs you can rent in the area work about the same as a Hoveround wheelchair, so she may want to try that. They would not, however, fit into a minivan, unless you get a Go-Chair, and I am not sure if anyone rents one of those.

We do not have a stroller-handle on my wheelchair but we did get bolt-on push handles from a website - travelwheelchair.net. These can attach to pretty much any chair and are height adjustable - plus you can angle them however it most comfortable. I've been using mine for 2 years and done great!

 

[musicmama]

Just back. To answer one of your questions, there ARE wheelchairs when the guest has to transfer from an ECV. However, they are not the greatest. For example, a standard manual wheelchair has grip handles that your fingers fit into; the transfer chairs don't. We found this to be a big issue on rides with an inclined entrance such as Space Mountain and Tower of Terror - it was much much harder to push the chair, especially with temperatures and heat index approaching 100 degrees.

We tried 2 days in a manual wheelchair (Epcot and Universal Islands of Adventure). For our Magic Kingdom/hopper day, I insisted on renting an ECV from Disney because DD (age 20 and pretty fit) was exhausted from pushing me in the heat and the terrain. The manual chair was her idea as I was more than willing to rent the ECV for the whole trip but she felt that she was in fine shape and could handle pushing me around.

We did notice that people seemed more responsive/aware/willing to move for people on ECVs than in wheelchairs. Overall, it was difficult to determine how each attraction handled wheelchairs/ECVs - whether to use the regular queue or use a different queue such as the fastpass lane.

I would suggest that your mom tries the ECV carts available in grocery stores to see if she would be comfortable handling one. If she can, she could use the Disney ones with little difficulty, which would make things easier all around for your trip. Good luck!

 

[SueM in MN]

Just back. To answer one of your questions, there ARE wheelchairs when the guest has to transfer from an ECV. However, they are not the greatest. For example, a standard manual wheelchair has grip handles that your fingers fit into; the transfer chairs don't. We found this to be a big issue on rides with an inclined entrance such as Space Mountain and Tower of Terror - it was much much harder to push the chair, especially with temperatures and heat index approaching 100 degrees.

We tried 2 days in a manual wheelchair (Epcot and Universal Islands of Adventure). For our Magic Kingdom/hopper day, I insisted on renting an ECV from Disney because DD (age 20 and pretty fit) was exhausted from pushing me in the heat and the terrain. The manual chair was her idea as I was more than willing to rent the ECV for the whole trip but she felt that she was in fine shape and could handle pushing me around.

We did notice that people seemed more responsive/aware/willing to move for people on ECVs than in wheelchairs. Overall, it was difficult to determine how each attraction handled wheelchairs/ECVs - whether to use the regular queue or use a different queue such as the fastpass lane.

I would suggest that your mom tries the ECV carts available in grocery stores to see if she would be comfortable handling one. If she can, she could use the Disney ones with little difficulty, which would make things easier all around for your trip. Good luck!

In general, you would use the regular line with a wheelchair. Most are wheelchair accessible thru the main line.
They do have park maps for guests with disabilities that list the 'mobility entrances' for each attraction. In most cases, it says to 'Use the Mainstream queue' (I.e., the regular line). That map is very helpful.

The mobility entrances are listed in post 11 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[KPeveler]

In general, you would use the regular line with a wheelchair. Most are wheelchair accessible thru the main line.
They do have park maps for guests with disabilities that list the 'mobility entrances' for each attraction. In most cases, it says to 'Use the Mainstream queue' (I.e., the regular line). That map is very helpful.

The mobility entrances are listed in post 11 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

I know that on the Guidemap for Guests with Disabilities for each park, it says whether you can keep the ECV or must transfer to a wheelchair, and which queue to use.

Also, here in Disneyland (CA) every attraction sign by the regular entrance has instructions and a symbol showing where we enter and whether transferring is required. I am not certain if WDW has this (it has been a while since I have been there).

 

[SueM in MN]

I know that on the Guidemap for Guests with Disabilities for each park, it says whether you can keep the ECV or must transfer to a wheelchair, and which queue to use.

Also, here in Disneyland (CA) every attraction sign by the regular entrance has instructions and a symbol showing where we enter and whether transferring is required. I am not certain if WDW has this (it has been a while since I have been there).

WDW is the same.
Being older, DL has more attractions with handicapped entrances because the 'regular' entrance was not able to be mainstreamed. So, they probably need more signs directing people.
At WDW, there are few attraction that have a different entrance, the ones that do have a way to let you know where to go.
So, I can see how someone who sees the signs at those few might expect ALL attractions to have a 'special' entrance and may think the attractions are just not well marked.

 

[musicmama]

To clarify, this was our first trip using a wheelchair/ECV. Didn't think to get a map because we've been so many times before and (insert look of shame here) never thought to check for a sticky.

Thanks, SueMN, for pointing both of those things out, we'll know for next time.

 

[SueM in MN]

To clarify, this was our first trip using a wheelchair/ECV. Didn't think to get a map because we've been so many times before and (insert look of shame here) never thought to check for a sticky.

Thanks, SueMN, for pointing both of those things out, we'll know for next time.

No shame needed.
Hope the new knowledge helps you have a much easier time next time!